Web

5 mistakes you're likely to make when looking for a website designer

We all know that an impressive website is the key to success in the digital world. But finding the right website designer can be a complex undertaking that is sometimes fraught with challenges. In this post, we want to open your eyes by highlighting the 5 most common mistakes you're likely to make when choosing a website designer - and how you can avoid them.

5 common mistakes you should avoid

Don't do any research

The first and perhaps biggest mistake is jumping blindly into designer selection without doing enough research. It is essential to get different quotes and compare designers' prices, experience and references. This is the first step in ensuring you find a designer that fits your needs.

Paying too much attention to the price

Cost is important, but it shouldn't be the only criterion for your decision. The cheapest option may seem tempting at first, but keep in mind that a low-quality website can be more expensive in the long run. Invest in a design that reflects your brand and goals

Not clearly defining goals

A website should be more than just a pretty screen image. Define clear goals for your website – be it brand awareness, lead generation or sales. Share these goals with your designer so they can develop a customized solution that meets your goals.

Waiver of ongoing support

A website doesn't end after it's designed and published. Constant maintenance, updates and security measures are essential. Find a designer who will not only implement the initial project but also be willing to offer long-term support to keep your website running smoothly.

Ignore experience and expertise

An experienced designer not only brings technical know-how, but also industry experience. Choosing a designer who understands your industry can make all the difference. Investing in someone with expertise will save you from headaches in the long run.

Finally

As a business owner, finding a designer to meet all of your business needs can be a little intimidating.

We understand the importance of choosing the right website designer and our team is ready to support you on this journey. Not only do we offer comprehensive design solutions, but we also offer the assurance that your website will achieve the best possible result.

Together we can avoid the mistakes and take your online presence to the next level. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

Thanks for reading and good luck on your journey to perfect website design!

Web design with a focus on accessibility: ensuring a positive experience for all users on your company website

In today's world, it is essential to ensure that your business website is accessible to all users in order to provide a positive user experience and reach the widest audience. Accessible design not only benefits people with disabilities, but it also improves usability and overall functionality for everyone - while protecting you and your business from costly legal disputes.

What is meant by accessibility?

Accessibility in web design refers to designing websites that can be used by people with disabilities such as visual, hearing, mobility or cognitive impairments. A truly accessible website should be able to support assistive technologies such as screen readers, voice recognition software and alternative input devices.

Why is your website accessibility important?

An accessible website allows people of different abilities full access to your company's information, products and services from your website. In 2019, there were over one billion people worldwide with some form of disability. By designing an accessible website, you ensure that this often forgotten segment of the population can access your content, products and services. As companies increasingly move their day-to-day activities online, accessible websites have become increasingly important.

Design with accessibility in mind

Creating an accessible website starts with understanding the needs of users with disabilities. Here are some best practices for creating an accessible website for your business:

1. Start with meaningful HTML: Meaningful HTML uses descriptive tags that help screen readers interpret the content more accurately. The use of meaningful tags like <h1>, <h2>, <p>, <section>, <article>, <nav> etc. makes it easier for screen readers to help disabled users navigate the content of your website.
2. Use alt text for images: Alternative text (alt text) provides a textual description of images on a web page. Screen readers use alt text to describe what an image represents. Therefore, it is important to include alt text for accessibility.
3. Choose colors carefully: Color contrast is crucial for users with limited vision or color blindness. Choose high contrast colors between text and background elements to ensure text is easy to read.
4. Make sure your website is navigable using the keyboard: Some users rely on keyboards for navigation instead of a mouse. Make sure your website is keyboard navigable by allowing users to use the tab key and providing clear instructions.
5. Use descriptive links: When creating links, it is important to ensure that they are descriptive and give users a clear idea of where the link leads. Avoid general phrases like “click here.”
6. Provide subtitles for videos and audio: Subtitles are essential for people who are hard of hearing or deaf. Providing closed captions or transcripts for video and audio content increases accessibility for these users.
7. Test your website with assistive technologies: Testing your website with assistive technologies such as screen readers, magnification software, and speech recognition software can reveal accessibility weaknesses.

Finally

Designing with accessibility in mind is crucial to creating a positive user experience on your website while ensuring inclusivity for all users, regardless of their abilities. By incorporating best practices such as strong HTML, image alt text, accessible color contrast, keyboard navigation, descriptive links, closed captioning for videos and audio, and assistive technology testing, you can create a website that is easy for everyone to use.

Remember:

• Not all disabilities are visible.
• Designing an accessible website doesn’t have to be complicated.
• Accessible design benefits everyone.
• An accessible website improves usability across different devices.
• Accessibility as part of the design process isn't just good practice - it's the right thing to do.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We offer free design and marketing consultations and are happy to help you avoid the most common pitfalls when choosing the right designer for your business.

Thanks for reading and good luck on your business journey!

Why is it necessary to have a business website?

Orange juice?

Why did I choose a delicious-looking photo of orange juice for an article about business websites? That literally has nothing to do with the topic… or does it? You will find out over the course of the blog.

Owning a business website allows your business to reach a wider audience. Think of it like a virtual store that is open 24/7 and allows potential customers to learn about your products or services at any time. It can also help build credibility and trust with your target audience as your online presence provides a platform to showcase your expertise and customer reviews. It increases brand awareness, increases customer loyalty and (if done correctly) will ultimately increase sales for your business.

Can't I just use a Facebook page for my business website?

Uh, no. Although you could use one, there are several reasons why it's not recommended to use a social media page instead of a website for your business:

Limited customization options: Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram offer limited customization options, meaning you can't create an online presence that reflects your business or its brand values. An actual website allows for unlimited customization to make your business website exactly how it needs to be.

Limited Control: If you use social media as the primary online presence for your business, you are subject to the terms and conditions of that particular platform. These platforms are constantly evolving, meaning the way they work can change at any time.

Lack of Credibility: This is a matter of perception… and you will hear me say over and over again, optics are everything!!! A dedicated business website with a real domain that doesn't start with facebook.com, instagram.com or wix.com (more on that here) conveys professionalism and seriousness to potential customers.

Limited Analytics: Although some social media platforms offer basic analytics capabilities, they are typically limited compared to what you can get with a website's analytics tools. When it comes to true digital marketing, a website allows you to track user behavior, gain insights, and intensively test every aspect of your website. This not only improves the customer experience on your website but also increases sales and profits for your business.

Hire an expert or build it yourself?

Well, this is the ultimate question and one that I encounter often, so I wrote this article for you. Although my profession is a web designer and I hope to have you as a client... I understand that some of you would like to at least entertain the idea of creating your business website yourself. I hope to give you some pros and cons of both options so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed from here.

Hire or hire an expert

Pros

Guaranteed Results: An experienced professional or agency has the knowledge and expertise to create a visually appealing website for your business that is functional, responsive on all devices, secure, fast page loading and search engine optimization (SEO) is optimized and also meets current accessibility standards for people with disabilities (to avoid expensive lawsuits).

Time Savings: Hiring a professional allows you, as a business owner, to focus your attention on what you do best: running your business. Any issues that may arise regarding your business website should be left to a professional.

Customization Options: A professional knows the best options and plugins available to customize your business website so that it does exactly what your website needs to best serve your online customers.

Contras

Costly: Hiring a professional can be expensive, especially for small businesses trying to keep costs down. That's why many small business owners opt for the cheapest option, which is unfortunately the worst way to deal with this challenge. You can read more about this in my article “The hidden costs of cheap websites”.

Communication barrier: Communication problems can arise when the business owner and the web designer do not understand each other's language or technical terminology. This affects business owners who want to work with low-cost (cheap) web designers from other countries. Also, don't forget the time difference... when you're working, you're sleeping. This can limit communication to 1-2 messages per day.

Third-party dependency: After your website is built, it becomes old, stale, and outdated. The ability to easily update your new website is crucial to keeping the content fresh and ranking your site higher on search engines than your competition. Depending on the designer or agency, you may need to rely on them for website updates, content additions, and platform maintenance… all of which come with additional costs.

Create a website yourself

Pros

Cost-effective: It is a common belief that building a website on your own eliminates the need to pay for professional services. However, while this point is absolutely true, this argument is double-edged. What is your time worth? I explain this argument in more detail in my article “The Hidden Costs of Cheap Websites”.

Learning Opportunity: Creating your own website allows you to learn new skills like coding and design. If you're tech-savvy and have time to spare...let's go! I absolutely love building websites and have been doing it for almost 30 years. If you have the time and ability to learn, I highly recommend it.

Independence: You have full control over the website design and content and don't have to listen to anyone else's ideas or feedback. This is also a mixed blessing, as a professional knows what works where on a company website in order to be successful. They also know all the industry standards and have access to premium tools that cost hundreds and (sometimes) thousands of dollars to make them usable for customers.

Cons

Time-Consuming: Creating your own business website requires time, effort, and a certain level of technical know-how. Finding the appropriate amount of time can be challenging when you have other responsibilities to ensure your business runs smoothly. Again… what is your time worth?

Quality Concerns: I say this all the time…looks are everything! Homemade websites often lack that “professional look,” resulting in poor user experience and page rankings in search engines. If your customers don't like your website, it won't get any traffic... ultimately resulting in your time and effort creating it in the first place being wasted. Allow me to point out this little reminder about what your time is worth.

Limited customization options: Without prior knowledge of coding languages, it can be difficult to create custom features. You may not know where to turn for additional plugins that unlock powerful features on your website, and if you do, many of them cost money for a subscription.

Ultimately, creating a website itself comes down to personal preference, budgetary constraints, and technical expertise. While anyone can do it… the real question is why?

Finally… An explanation for the stupid photo

During my free consultations with clients, I share many sayings…one of which is “Is the effort worth the juice?”

See, anyone can make their own orange juice. I would just have to get in my car, drive to Walmart, buy a decent juicer, and get a few bags of oranges. Then when I get home I would have to read the instructions, juice all the oranges and put the freshly squeezed orange juice in my fridge until it's nice and cold. But that is not all. I would still have to rinse, dry and store the juicer, dispose of the dozens of orange peels, and finally clean the sticky spilled juice from my beautiful granite countertops.

When all is said and done... I have spent a few hundred dollars and wasted hours of time making something that I could have easily purchased at Walmart for about $5. I'm not an orange juice expert, but companies like Minute Maid and Tropicana are. They went to the trouble of making and bottling the juice for me. They delivered it to my store where it is kept nice and chilled and ready for me to enjoy. It already has the right amount of pulp that I like and probably tastes a lot better than what I can make... I think you get the point.

The lesson here is that the only actual benefit from this scenario was the satisfaction of having made my own orange juice. But…was the effort worth the juice? Not for me. I have better things to do with my time.

Is it worth it for you? Only you can answer this question.

Finally

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I offer free design and marketing consultations and am happy to help you avoid the most common pitfalls in identifying the right designer for your business.

Thank you for reading and good luck on your business journey!

12 Hidden Costs of Cheap Websites: Why Investing in a Quality Business Website Actually Saves Money

In this article, I will list 12 problems with cheap websites that will cause you to spend more money to fix them in the future. Since over 42% of websites are built using WordPress, I will focus this discussion solely on that platform, although this concept applies to virtually any platform.

You get what you pay for

As a small business owner, budget constraints are always present when it comes to looking for a new or updated website for your business. It's completely understandable that you want to find the best deal, but focusing solely on price rather than quality and experience can (and usually does) have expensive consequences. Investing in a high-quality website from a trusted local freelancer or agency may be more expensive initially, but it will save you time and money in the long run.

When I talk to business owners, one of the first questions asked is “How much does a website cost?” While this answer is completely valid and requires a completely different discussion, looking at price alone and cutting corners should not even be considered for your business.

Cheap Websites: A Deal or a Disaster?

If you were looking to purchase a used car, you probably did some research before visiting the dealership and know that the particular model of vehicle you want costs around $20,000. While you're looking around, you'll also see a similar model for just $10,000.

Is your first thought: “Wow, what a great deal!” or “Um…what’s wrong with that?”

Of course it's the latter. That's because we're trained to be skeptical when things sound too good to be true. But for some reason, when it comes to a website, people seem to think that the cheapest option is a perfectly acceptable one, when in fact it is the worst option in most cases.

Your business is your livelihood, it is the way you support yourself and your family. You wouldn't trust a worn-out car to take you and your family on a road trip across the country and back. Then why would you entrust your business website to a cheap website designer? A business website shouldn’t be viewed as an expense… it’s an investment in your business. A cheap website is a terrible investment…don’t make that mistake.

Here are the 12 hidden costs of cheap websites

trade-offs

Unless the web developer is paid a lot to build it, he will cut corners where he can. This usually means free versions of the website builder, free themes/layouts and plugins used for your new business website. The problem is that many free plugins are underdeveloped and unsupported, which can lead to security vulnerabilities. While this is a great idea to get the job done as quickly as possible, the problems these “quick fixes” cause in the future could be very expensive in both time and money.

BAD USER EXPERIENCE

Most people are naturally cheap. And those looking for a cheap website most likely also have cheap hosting on servers like GoDaddy, Bluehost, Hostgator, etc. Substandard hosting, uncompressed images and poorly written code lead to extremely slow loading times that negatively impact your customers' user experience, but also on your search engine ranking.

DON’T FORGET ACCESSIBILITY

Ensuring that your website is accessible is extremely important as this not only ensures that people with disabilities (including those with visual impairments, hearing impairments, or cognitive or motor impairments) can use and navigate the website effectively, but it also helps you and Protect your company from expensive lawsuits. Most low-cost designers don't even follow basic accessibility principles, such as providing alternative text for images, captions for videos, clear navigation labels, and ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies like screen readers. Investing in experienced designers who understand the importance of accessibility can ensure your website can be used by everyone while protecting you from lawsuits.

SLOW LOADING TIMES

Many of the cheap websites are templates that have been used by hundreds if not thousands of customers. This makes it easy for a designer on a budget to swap out just a few elements in the template to make the website look “like yours.” The problem is that a poorly designed website can lead to frustrated users who can't find what they're looking for and leave the site before converting, costing potential sales.

SAFETY RISKS

Free themes, layouts and plugins are often developed and maintained by individuals or small groups of developers. The WordPress platform itself constantly releases bug fixes and security updates for its software. When these updates are released, plugin developers must check whether the patch affects their plugins and make adjustments. Because they are free, developers typically lack the resources (or desire) to provide regular updates or fix security vulnerabilities in a timely manner, leaving the site vulnerable to attacks by hackers. While there are dozens of measures that can be taken to protect against this, such as masking logins, regular backups, etc... chances are good that a cheap website build won't include these.

NOT MOBILE FRIENDLY

With over 90% of browsing activity conducted on smartphones these days, a mobile-first mindset is absolutely critical to reaching customers. With cheap designers often comes a lack of testing the design on different devices or at all. If you don't ensure that your users have a good website experience on their mobile devices, you will definitely lose business.

UNRELIABLE SUPPORT

Cheap websites are just that… a website. Once your work is done, the designer moves on to the next project and leaves you alone to deal with problems with your new website. Without a dedicated customer support team, you're left with the task of dealing with technical issues yourself or paying someone else to fix them. And of course you can forget about updates to your website.

NO TEST PHASE

There are several phases in the web design process, and the final one, the testing phase, is arguably the most important. The testing phase is not only extremely important, but also time-consuming. Again, time is money, and unless you're paying the designer a lot, that's one of the corners that gets cut. Not testing a website properly before launching can result in a poor user experience, which could potentially cost you business.

NON-SCALABLE DESIGN

Every entrepreneur's goal is to expand and scale their business, expanding their reach (and profits) far beyond what they ever thought possible. The problem with a cheap build is that if your company grows quickly or if you want to expand your website's capabilities in the future, a cheap website may not be able to keep up, resulting in a complete tear down and redesign. Depending on what your business is, having your website down for weeks or months can be devastating to your plans.

LACK OF EXPERIENCE

Experience is something worth paying for. A cheap website designer may lack the experience and skills necessary to create a professional-looking website that can compete in today's market. You also deal with many different types of customers, they may not have experience in your industry, which can result in a poor user interface and experience. All of this ends with you losing customers and profits.

QUANTITY INSTEAD OF QUALITY

Many cheap designers rely on completing as many projects as possible in a short period of time, rather than investing the time and resources necessary to create a truly high-quality website. As a result, many use pre-made templates or copy and paste designs to speed up the process, resulting in websites that lack originality and are often riddled with typos, broken links, and development errors that negatively impact the site's functionality or user experience can.

THE LANGUAGE BARRIER

Keep in mind that many of these designers are based abroad, where the cost of living is much lower and our US dollar goes much further. You may lack clear communication skills, which can lead to misunderstandings or miscommunication before, during and after your project. You'll often be in different time zones, meaning you'll be limited to 1-2 questions/requests per day. When you're awake, you're asleep... and vice versa. This slow back and forth can mess up your timeline and cause significant delays to your project.

Finally

While this list certainly doesn't apply to every cheap website build, overall, you get what you pay for... especially when it comes to web design. Working with a budget-friendly designer may sound tempting compared to other options, but often it will cost you more in the long run if they produce substandard work.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I offer free design and marketing consultations and am happy to help you avoid the most common pitfalls when finding the right designer for your business.

Thank you for reading and good luck on your business journey!